French journalist Olivier Dubois, a former hostage of jihadists in Mali, has received the Frantz di Rippel Prize for his book 'Prisonnier du désert, 711 jours aux mains d’Al-Qaïda'. Held captive for nearly two years, he recounts his struggle to survive in extreme conditions. The prize, awarded by the city of Biot, honors journalists facing current events with a personal experience element.
Olivier Dubois, journalist and former hostage in Mali, was awarded the Frantz di Rippel Prize on Friday by the city of Biot in the Alpes-Maritimes. This literary prize, created in 2022, pays tribute to Stéphane Frantz di Rippel, a hotel director assassinated in 2011 in Abidjan for protecting journalists. It honors each year a book written by a journalist on a current event involving personal experience.
Kidnapped in April 2021 in Mali by the GSIM, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel linked to Al-Qaïda, Olivier Dubois was then a correspondent for Libération and Le Point. Held for nearly two years, he describes in his book, published by éditions Michel Lafon, his daily struggle to survive in extreme conditions during his 711 days of captivity.
The jury, made up of journalists, selected Dubois's work from six finalists, including 'La Meute', an investigation into La France insoumise, and 'Femme, vie, liberté' on the 2022 uprising of Iranian women. He succeeds Étienne Forest, the 2024 winner for 'La France des gourous'. Previous winners include 'Le clandestin de Daech' by Georges Dallemagne and Christophe Lamfalussy in 2022, and 'Les Aurores incertaines' by Samuel Forey in 2023.
This prize highlights the courage of journalists facing extreme risks to cover current events.